Write a letter to an actress playing the role of Rita in a Production of Educating Rita at the West End. In this letter comment on how the character changes between Acts one and two.

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Introduction

Write a letter to an actress playing the role of Rita in a Production of Educating Rita at the West End. In this letter comment on how the character changes between Acts one and two. Dear Miss Walters It has come to my attention that you will be playing the role of Rita in the production of 'Educating Rita' at the west end. My name is Steven Spielberg, and I am a Hollywood director, and quite recently I have taken an interest in the play Educating Rita. The purpose of this letter is to assist you in understanding the complex character of Rita so you can perform her authentically. As you may already know the play Educating Rita focuses on a twenty six year old woman named Rita who in the beginning of Act one was a narrow minded, outspoken and socially naive Liverpudlian who is trapped by her working class life. Rita desperately wishes to become educated so she goes to the Open University where she meets Frank her English lecturer. With Frank's edification she eventually becomes educated however in the process her character changes very drastically and as a result her relationship with Frank and Denny her husband deteriorates. Rita is very determined to study with Frank, affirmation of this can be found at the beginning on Act one when Frank refuses to teach her, "I didn't actually want to take this course" after hearing ...read more.

Middle

It is worth noting that you are going to have to change your attitude slightly after you come into contact with Frank's other students because it is then that Rita realizes that compared to them she is uneducated. We know that Rita tries to distance herself from the other students by the tone of voice when she refers to them as "them" and "they", this changes when she starts to know them, "I started talking to some students down on the lawn", she even starts to criticize them, "For students they don't half come out with some rubbish" this is a turnaround from when she "used to be quite wary of them". So remember to distance yourself from the other students until Rita's major changing point which is after she returns from summer school. It is after summer school that she decides to quit smoking, we know this because in Act two scene one Frank offers her a cigarette and she says "no I've packed it in" this is a big change from Act one when she continuously asks Frank "can I smoke". This is very contradictive of her because in Act one she said to Frank that people that have stopped smoking "are cowards", this is significant because this proves that Rita has begun to think more logically. ...read more.

Conclusion

It is important for you to understand how Rita's way of thinking changes as the play progresses. In Act one Rita seems to be quite naive, thinking from a direct point of view, "But these stuck up idiots I meet, they think they're royalty just cos they don't swear." This quote suggests that Rita thinks with a single point of view and does not consider other possibilities this could be why she struggles with English literature in the beginning of the play. When the play progresses Rita possibly for the first time in her life thinks philosophically, "a room is like a planet" she explains to Frank, this is something that Rita would not have been capable of saying in Act one. In conclusion to all of the points made above I believe that Rita does not truly know what she wants to do with her life. Her relationship with Frank and her family disintegrates as she becomes more educated. Although her personality changes in a circular motion she ends up in the same place as before however this time she has a choice with what path she wants to take in life whether it be carrying on with her education or settling down. I hope that is letter has been beneficial to you and I look forward to seeing your performance. Yours Sincerely, Steven Spielberg (Director) ...read more.

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